Brennan's Denial
by MadDelight
Summary: Dr. Temperance Booth. Yeah, it sounds strange to her too. A story set mainly in flash-back mode. Traveling thru the end of season four to the beginning of five.
1. Name Game

**Disclaimer:** Bones originally belongs to Kathy Reichs, but is currently under the great care of Fox, Hart, Deschanel, and Boreanaz.

Brennan fiddled idly with her pen. She was trying to write an outline for her next book, but she couldn't exactly get the details right.

_Mrs. Booth, Mrs. Brennan-Booth, Temperance Booth. _

She shook her head. Not only was that not her book, but she hated how all of those sounded. It was strange that she would be supposing herself as a married woman. If she decided to marry, would Booth expect her to take his name? The world knew her as Dr. Temperance Brennan. Could she handle being Dr. Temperance Booth?

"Sweetie?" Angela strode into Brennan's office. "We've got some disgusting remains here to identify. Kind of your thing." She glanced down at her friend's desk. "What's this?"

"Nothing." Brennan tried to throw the paper away, but Angela was too quick.

Angela grinned. "Mrs. Booth?" She glanced over the rest of the names and her grin widened. "Honey, what is this? Have you suddenly lost your mind?"

"No. Booth and I plan on having a child the traditional way." Brennan said plainly.

Angela's jaw dropped. "You're what? You, Temperance Brennan, who insisted she would never marry because it's archaic and insisted you didn't need a piece of paper to prove you're committed to someone. You're going to date Booth, marry Booth, and then have his child?" Angela asked, stunned.

Brennan shrugged. "I think Booth and I both can skip the dating part. Although we haven't really discussed the issue."

"Haven't discussed the issue? Yet here you are writing down your married name?" Angela laughed. "You are head-over-heels, Sweetie." She turned to head towards the forensic platform.

"I don't know what that means." Brennan responded, following Angela up onto the platform.

Angela was still chuckling as she joined the other squints around the body.

"This is funny?" Cam turned to glance at Angela, as the bones and flesh in front of them appeared to be covered in spoiled chocolate syrup.

Angela shook her head, gasping for air. "No, … Brennan."

"Dr. Brennan?" Cam turned to look at her colleague who was already surveying the remains.

Hodgins and Vincent glanced over at the good doctor who had noticeably turned red at Angela's comment.

"Dr. Brennan?" Hodgins echoed, realizing he had never seen her blush before in his life.

"So, after you're married it'll be Dr. Booth, right?" Angela elbowed her friend, she couldn't resist.

"Married...?" Cam was definitely staring at Brennan now, with a calculating gaze.

Brennan didn't even glance up from the remains although all the squints were staring at her, no longer focused on the oozing body in front of them.

"Yes. Booth and I are considering marriage." Brennan stated. She looked up from the bones and snapped off her gloves. "There seems to be damage to the parietal bone, but I won't be able to tell until all of the flesh has been removed." Brennan turned to Cam. "Mr. Nigel-Murray will clean the bones once you're done."

Everyone was still gaping as Brennan rushed off the forensic platform.

"We heard that correctly? Married?" Cam asked, glancing between her colleagues.

"Wow. Married." Hodgins whistled and shook his head.

"I know, right?" Angela was grinning like an excited schoolgirl.

"Uh, did you know that many Scottish and Welsh people did not take their husband's name until the 17th century." Vincent recited.

"Dude." Hodgins shook his head.

"Alright people, let's get back to work." Cam instructed, snapping her gloves and trying to get her team back to focus.

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Brennan and Booth sat in Sweets' office. Booth was shaking his leg. He hated silence. Sweets was waiting for them to talk.

"I don't want to take your last name." Brennan announced, glancing at Booth.

"What?" Booth and Sweets asked in unison.

"It just, the world knows me as Dr. Temperance Brennan. It would be difficult making the transition." Brennan explained.

Booth cleared his throat at straightened his tie. "Does that mean you want to get married?"

"Woah, woah, woah. Hold on here." Sweets held up his hands. "Have you two have discussed this?"

"What's wrong with Dr. Booth?" Booth turned to his partner, ignoring Sweets.

"Well, I'd think they were referring to you. It's just, because I call you Booth. Although I know it's ridiculous because you don't have a doctorate." Brennan explained.

"Gee, thanks Bones." Booth sighed in irritation.

"Wait. Marriage is a big step and it would change the whole dynamic of your partnership." Sweets interjected. "This is insane." He ran his hands through his hair.

"Relax Sweets, don't give yourself a migraine." Booth instructed. "Bones decided she wanted to have a kid the right way."

"Well that's not exactly what I said." Brennan negated. "That would mean the first way I wanted to conceive was wrong. Which, it wasn't. I had no problem with it."

"Right," Booth began to backtrack. "But I had a problem with it."

Brennan nodded. "That is true, you did."

"So," Brennan turned to Booth.

Booth chuckled. "You've got to wait til I propose, Bones. Generally that's the way it goes. You want this done right, don't you?"

Sweets was at his wits end. "Hold it!"

Both partners turned to glance at their unhinged psychologist.

Suddenly, Booth's cell phone rang. "We've got a warrant. Let's go."

"Right." Brennan followed Booth out of Sweets office.

"Yeah, that's fine. Don't listen to my advice. What do I know, I'm just your psychologist." Sweets muttered petulantly to his empty office.


	2. Sense in the Slap

**Disclaimer:** Bones originally belongs to Kathy Reichs, but is currently under the great care of Fox, Hart, Deschanel, and Boreanaz.

**A/N: A great deal of this story will be done in flashback mode. Through the end of season four to the beginning of season five. Starting with this chapter. Taken from 4x21- The Critic in the Cabernet**

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**Three Months Earlier: **

"You do know how this is supposed to work, right?" Angela sat across from Brennan in her office. "You and Booth are supposed to devour each other in a passionate frenzy."

Brennan looked up from her laptop. "Booth would think that would create an emotional bond between us."

"Of course,_ that's_ ridiculous." Angela sat back and rolled her eyes. "Then why not use Fisher's discount sperm?"

"No," Brennan negated. "Booth has a larger mandible and a more prominent zygomatic, as well as a more pronounced ratio between the width of his clavicles and his ilia." Brennan explained.

"So it's because Booth is hot." Angela summed up. "Now we're getting somewhere."

"Statistically, attractive people are more successful. I'm only thinking of the child, Angela."

"Then do this right, Sweetie." Angela persisted.

"I am." Brennan asserted. "Emotional ties are ephemeral and undependable."

"Brennan- " Angela began to interject, but her friend cut her off.

"I appreciate your concern, but I have thought this through rationally." Brennan said, turning back to work on the case.

Angela could see that talking was not going to get through to Brennan. She stood up walked over and slapped Brennan across the face.

"What?" Brennan was taken aback.

"Sweetie, listen to me." Angela took a step back. "Think this through. Don't just jump into taking Booth's sperm and having his kid. Because whether you like it or not, there are emotional ties that you have to consider."

Brennan's pride and emotionally-distant exterior had been breached. "Get out." Her voice was choked with a mixture of emotions.

Angela nodded, feeling incredibly sad for her friend. She could only hope that Brennan would take some of their conversation to heart, and make the right decision.

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**A/N: next chapter will be longer. more to come. This little section was the initial spark for this fic. I watched Critic in the Cabernet and desperately wanted Angela to smack some sense into Brennan. So, yeah. Here it is. **


	3. Clips of Cabernet

**Disclaimer:** Bones originally belongs to Kathy Reichs, but is currently under the great care of Fox, Hart, Deschanel, and Boreanaz.

**A/N: Setting is still the Critic in the Cabernet. And thanks! For all the alerts, reviews, and favorites. I'm floored by the response to this story.**

**I don't own Stewie or Family Guy either. Most of this dialogue is parsed directly from Cabernet; so don't give me much credit for that either...**

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"I would love my child, Booth. I would."

Brennan and Booth sat in the SUV, driving to the victim's house.

"I-I know that, Bones."

"If you're uncomfortable, Fisher donates his sperm monthly." Brennan said.

"Woah. No. You are not having Fisher's kids." Booth interjected. "Don't worry about it. I'll do it."

Brennan shrugged. "Well, I'm not worried. I don't want you to feel any obligation."

"I'll do it." Booth insisted. "I'll do it."

**Really, it's a pity that things don't always go as planned.**

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"Did you ever think, what if Booth is the perfect father for your child?"

Angela asked Brennan as they walked through the lab. "What if you're throwing away the chance to have a family? A real family, because you're scared?" Angela pointed out.

"Scared?" Brennan countered. "Why would I be scared, I've been to Rwanda, to Iraq."

Angela rubbed her temples in frustration. "Listen, you said you wanted to do this alone because feelings are ephemeral. So is life, Brennan." Angela explained emphatically. "We're here one minute and we're gone the next. You should know that better than anybody." At this point, Angela was just hoping to get through to Brennan. Her voice was filled with emotion. "If you keep living trying to protect yourself, nothing is ever gonna touch you."

**Unfortunately, Brennan wasn't receptive to Angela's friendly advice.**

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Booth and Brennan sat in the interrogation room, certain this was the man that had killed their victim.

"I can't walk away! This is my kid!" Booth shouted at the air.

Brennan watched as her partner continued shouting at nothing. "Booth, who're you talking to?"

"If I can't be involved, I don't want her to have the baby!" Booth shouted.

Brennan dragged him out of the interrogation room; she knew that something wasn't right. "Booth, you're coming with me."

"Hey, what is going on?" Brennan asked, concerned.

"I can't do it." Booth replied. "Listen, I have to be involved. If I'm the father, then... I have to be the father."

Brennan ignored his last statement. "You we're seeing something in there, what were you seeing?" Brennan pressed.

"Stewie, you know from _Family Guy_." Booth said, like it was no big deal.

"You saw Stewie, in there, in the interrogation room?" Brennan asked.

Booth continued on the child topic. "So what do you say about the kid?"

"Fine, I won't have a baby." Brennan said dismissively.

"Fine?" Booth asked.

"It doesn't matter now. We're going to the hospital."

"No, it's okay." Booth tried to shrug it off.

But Brennan persisted. "Trust me, something is wrong, trust me." She grabbed Booth by the arm and looked directly into his eyes. Of course, Booth did trust her.

**And she was right, something was terribly wrong.**

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All of the squints sat anxiously in the waiting room of the hospital.

"Man, we can't take anything for granted can we?" Hodgins scooted closer to Angela.

"Why do we forget that?" Angela shook her head.

Cam and Angela looked down at their hands. Sweets, and all the squints stood the second Brennan appeared in the waiting room.

"They think it's a cerebellar pilocytic astrocytoma. Brain tumor. It's usually benign. They're prepping him for surgery now." It was obvious Brennan was near tears, her voice quavered. "I just wanted all of you to know. Statistically he should be fine."

Angela stepped forward and hugged Brennan reassuringly. The squints watched on with worry in their eyes. "This isn't about me." Brennan said dismissively, obviously having regained herself she left the waiting room to return to Booth.

**It's funny how things can change so quickly.**

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Booth sat in the hospital bed, hooked up to an IV, with monitors on his chest. Brennan watched her partner through the glass. He smiled at her and she smiled back, though it quickly faded. Worry filled her eyes, then his in turn.

Brennan came in, assuring Booth that he would be all right.

He exhaled, and stared into his partner's eyes, asking if she would come into the operating room with him. Again, Brennan's voice began to quaver, insisting she was not a surgeon or a neurologist.

But Booth insisted. She was a genius, which was good enough for him. She would know if they were screwing up.

The nervous tension in the air lifted slightly as Brennan agreed, saying she'd ask. She looked into Booth's eyes with trepidation. He gave her a small smile, before the fear returned to his eyes.

**Booth, Brennan's great protector, was rarely ever afraid. Perhaps that's why Brennan couldn't stop her voice from quavering every time she thought about him laying on the operating table.**

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Booth, lying in the bed, was being pushed down the hall by three people in scrubs. One of them being Brennan.

He looked up at her right before they entered the operating room. Both their eyes filled with emotion. His with fear, and her with tears that threatened to spill.

"You're gonna be fine, Booth." Brennan said aloud, to assure not only her partner, but herself as well. "I'll be right here." She wouldn't leave her partner's side.

**She took his hand as they finally wheeled him over the threshold.**

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Even if Brennan was too worried about Booth to realize it now, Angela's words had been a foreshadowing. Her friendly advice had been right.

Life was ephemeral, fleeting if you will. And Brennan should've realized that better than anyone else. She had to stop living a life of trying to protect herself. Now, it was her turn to protect someone else. Her partner. Booth. She had to look out for Booth, and hopefully take all of Angela's advice to heart.

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**A/N: The next chapter will be less... episode verbatim. Just, don't be expecting the whole crazy coma dream. Stick around and check it out ; )**


	4. First, A Dream

**Disclaimer:** Bones originally belongs to Kathy Reichs, but is currently under the great care of Fox, Hart, Deschanel, and Boreanaz.

**A/N: Setting is The End in the Beginning. **

**And thanks! For all the alerts, reviews, and favorites.**

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Brennan sat at her laptop, typing out the ending to her latest book.

She glanced it over, her finger hovering over the 'delete' key. Shaking her head, her eyes nearly spilling with tears, she glances up to look at Booth, who is murmuring from his precarious state.

Brennan glances up, light blue eyes filled with wonder. "Booth?" She calls, quickly covering the length of the hospital room to reach her partner's bedside. "Booth?" She's chuckling, from relief and the happiness that comes with it.

She can't hold back the laughter that comes bubbling up from her chest. Anxious laughter, thrilled laughter. Seeing Booth open his warm brown eyes fills her with so much relief that she has regained her sense of self.

"So real..." He mutters; his head is covered in gauze, there are tubes all over him. Her great protector still looks so defeated by his mental medical foe. But the relief washes over her in waves and so she laughs and smiles at him and is right by his side.

He hears her voice in snippets. "Operation a success... reacted poorly to the anesthesia... coma for four days..." And her voice is choked with emotion, she's near tears.

She's traveled from relief to fear in a matter of milliseconds. "It took you so long to wake up." And that's where the fear comes from, where it bubbles up and out of this strong woman. What if he hadn't woken up?

Booth's eyes are filled with confusion, he still has very little grasp on his surroundings, on what reality this is. He stares into Brennan's eyes. "Who are you?" Booth asks.

Brennan is taken aback, her eyes fill with terror and she gasps.

Booth's confusion comes out in one simple question. "Are you my wife?"

Brennan shakes her head. "No, Booth. We're partners, just partners. Don't you remember?" There is desperation in her voice. Did something else go wrong with the surgery? Her heart begins to pound in her chest.

Booth shakes his head slowly, his brow furrowing as he tries to explain. "You were my wife. We owned a nightclub. We were married. You were having my kid." He explained his comatose-dream.

Brennan's eyes are still filled with anxiety. "It was only a dream, Booth. We're partners. We work together." She tried to explain, wanting nothing more than for him to remember her, who she really was.

"Right..." Booth said slowly, not truly believing her yet. "Partners."

Brennan straightened up, voice still filled with emotion, still nearly crying. "I'll go get the doctor." She announced.

Booth watched her walk out, still a bit disoriented from his dream. He noticed a laptop on the bedside table; he turned it to get a clearer view of the screen.

_"The thought of losing so much control over personal happiness is unbearable. You love someone, you open yourself up to suffering, that's the sad truth. Maybe they'll break your heart, maybe you'll break their heart and never be able to look at yourself in the same way. Those are the risks. That's the burden." _

Booth glanced away from the screen and rested his head back against the pillows. She had written that? Well, clearly. Seeing as there wasn't anyone else who had been sitting by his bedside. It didn't quite make sense, unless some parts of his dream had been a reality. But, then again, she had denied that it was true. Just a dream. It was just a dream. Booth tried to reason through it, but his head hurt still, and just then, Brennan walked in with the doctor in toe.

There would be time for him to think about it later. He could always ask her later. There would be time, once his head stopped aching and the world started making sense again. Then he could ask her, his bedside-partner.

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**Reviews. Si'l vous plait. **

**Merci.**

**A/N: I have the next four or five chapters already planned out. So expect to see them fairly quickly. Might even be a sequel in the works. **


	5. Bones on the Rocks

**Disclaimer:** Bones originally belongs to Kathy Reichs, but is currently under the great care of Fox, Hart, Deschanel, and Boreanaz.

**A/N: Setting is the time between seasons 4 and 5. **

**Thanks! For all the alerts, favorites, and reviews.**

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**Three weeks later: **

The sweltering sun beat down on our favorite forensic anthropologist as she knelt down to squint over some remains. Brennan was getting back to her roots as an anthropologist. Instead of solving murders she was identifying remains in a far-off third world country.

A bead of sweat trickled down her forehead, and she wiped it away along with the hair that was clinging to her face. She had been working all day and needed a break. There was a tent-like structure set up for her to get some shade. She reached for her water bottle and took a satisfying sip. Although identifying remains always gave Brennan a great sense of satisfaction, she couldn't help but miss home just a little. The first thing she would do once she got home was take a nice, warm, relaxing shower. Something a dig out in the middle of nowhere tended to lack. Then, she would check in at the Jeffersonian and call Booth.

Brennan reflexively pulled out her phone and glanced at the messages. There were none, except for the brief exchange she had shared with Angela, so someone knew she had arrived safely. There had been digs in the past that had taken a turn for the worse. From then on, Angela had insisted on some form of contact. Since she was already taking a break, Brennan yanked off her gloves and turned on her laptop. She had a direct link to her email account from the Jeffersonian. Sometimes technology was amazing, she could check her messages in countries where a hot shower was absent.

She sighed and clicked the laptop shut. No messages. Not that she was expecting any. She was here to work, not to be bothered with cases from D.C. There were remains to be identified. Brennan fixed her ponytail, before pulling gloves on and returning into the heat of the midday sun to squint at some bones.

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Gasping for air, Brennan shot up in bed. Another nightmare. She knew that dreams were irrational; merely a firing of random synapses in the mind while the brain was in REM sleep. But it didn't mean that the nightmares didn't affect her.

Cold sweat trickled down the contour of her spine, and she shivered. The night breeze was cool and the thin blanket did little to trap her body heat. She shifted on her cot until she could find a comfortable position. She rested her head back on the pillow, staring up at the top of her tent. Brennan sighed and flicked on the flashlight near her bed. There had been a few cases, a few incidents, where she had feared greatly for her life. Unfortunately, those had all melded into one nightmare for the evening. Nearly being killed by Agent Kenton, being buried alive by the gravedigger, being held captive and told she was going to die. The darkness always reminded her of being buried alive in that car.

As her pulse began to return to normal, she clicked off her flashlight. There were only a couple more hours to sleep before she would have to go back to work. She shut her eyes tightly and tried to focus on something less fear inducing than the images from her nightmare. The only image that came to mind was her partner's warm brown eyes, always assuring her that everything was all right. Although her sub-conscious was fighting with all its will against her, Brennan somehow managed to drift back to sleep.

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It was early. Probably too early to reasonably expect Angela to be awake, but Brennan couldn't quite seem to care at the moment.

_Ange, have you heard any news about Booth? _

Brennan waited for her friend to respond. An envelope appeared on the screen of her cell phone.

_Hello to you too Sweetie. Booth is fine. He's been working with Sweets. How are you doing? _

Brennan scoffed. This had nothing to do with her.

_I'm fine, Angela._

It had been foolish of her to contact Angela in the first place. She was here to focus on work, not to worry about Booth. She wasn't worried about Booth. She felt Angela should know that.

_I wasn't worried about Booth. He can handle himself._

Brennan tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for a reply.

_Of course not, Bren. See you in a couple weeks, yeah? Don't work too hard._

Brennan shut her phone and pulled on a pair of gloves. Because that was just what she intended to do. Immerse herself in her work for the next three weeks.

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**A/N: We'll catch up with our man Booth in the next chapter. **

**PS- I'm very impressed with my readers' French. C'est magnifique. **


	6. Booth on the Rocks

**Disclaimer:** Bones originally belongs to Kathy Reichs, but is currently under the great care of Fox, Hart, Deschanel, and Boreanaz.

**A/N: Setting is the time between seasons 4 and 5. Following Booth now- Three weeks post Brennan's chapter. **

**Thanks! For all the alerts, favorites, and reviews. They keep the muse happy.**

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Booth yanked on some jeans and pulled on a dark t-shirt. He glanced at the clock. His appointment with Sweets was in an hour; he would head to the diner to busy himself until then.

There was something lacking in his diner experience. He knew if he admitted it to himself that the lacking piece was his partner. Things were always slow when she was out of town. Things were even more off since his surgery. He couldn't always sort out this reality and the one from his dream. Apparently, Brennan was just his partner. He had been convinced of that fact. Now he just had to get himself together and then he and Bren could work on a case again together. Er... Bones. That's right, he called her Bones. He couldn't quite drop the nickname he had picked up in his dream. The dream-life he had, well, that reality had seemed so perfect. He had been so happy, but that didn't mean he wasn't happy in this life, it was just a different kind of happy. He was satisfied with his work. He helped solve crimes that put murderers behind bars, and that helped him even out the cosmic balance sheet.

He knew his life had a sense of purpose, and from that he derived his sense of self. An FBI agent, with a genius partner and a top-notch team of squints working with them. Close the case, lock up the doer, get some justice. That fueled his work environment. Despite work, without his partner, Booth's life seemed a bit discombobulated. Like it wasn't put together just right. Maybe all it would take was his partner's return to D.C. He could get over this dream, it was all mind over matter, according to Sweets.

Booth walked up to the psychologist's office and pushed open the door.

"Agent Booth." Sweets greeted, smiling. It was rare to actually have one of his co-workers come in during a scheduled appointment time.

Booth sat on the couch across from Sweets, like he had been doing for the past five weeks. They had been working on getting him reinstated. Making sure he was fit to work. Sweets had assured him that it was only a matter of time before he would be up and running like usual.

"Is there anything in particular that's on your mind today?" Sweets questioned. "Any disillusions of being married to Dr. Brennan? Any issues with your daily life?"

Booth shook his head. "Things have been fine." He fiddled with his hands.

"But there's something on your mind." Sweets persisted.

"There's nothing on my mind, Sweets. If there was, I'd tell you." Booth said defensively.

But the psychologist wasn't thrown off track; he was obviously on the right one if Agent Booth was becoming more defensive. They sat in silence for a while. Booth shifted, he hated silence, because it meant Sweets was waiting for him to say something, which he wasn't particularly in the mood for right now.

"Look, there's nothing on my mind, alright?" Booth shifted. "Just wondering about Bren, er Bones." He corrected.

"What about Dr. Brennan?" Sweets quirked his brow, thinking that this should be interesting.

"Things will be back to normal when she comes home, er gets back." Booth states, sighing, feeling like he had gotten something off his chest.

"Normal? You feel like there's a lack of normality in your life since Dr. Brennan has been gone?" Sweets considered. "That's wicked interesting."

"No, I-" Booth stopped mid-sentence, running his hands through his hair. "It's just different, like there's something... missing." He shifted and cleared his throat.

"Mhm." Sweets said, as if that was the most interesting thing Booth had ever told him. "You and Dr. Brennan have a surrogate relationship. Instead of dating other people you have each other. But, more importantly, you and Dr. Brennan have a very important partnership. It is the basis of stability in your life." Sweets surmised. He watched Booth shift impatiently. "Perhaps you should let Dr. Brennan know how you really feel about her, how the dream has affected you."

Booth scoffed. "Right." His phone went off and he checked the caller ID. "It's Angela. I should see what's up." Booth headed towards the door.

"But!" Sweets injected. "The session isn't over."

Booth shrugged and slid out the door before Sweets could protest further.

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"Hey!" Angela smiled and hugged Booth. "How are you doing?"

Booth chuckled at the artist's warm greeting. "I'm fit as a fiddle." Generally he'd emphasize this point by a tug of the 'Cocky' belt buckle, but considering it wasn't on his person...

"So?" Booth questioned, sitting down across from Angela.

Angela took a bite of pie, and thought temporarily of offering Booth a bite, but then recalled Sweets' theory. She grinned.

"Brennan's getting in today. In a few hours." Angela explained.

"She couldn't tell me herself?" Booth nearly grumbled in irritation.

Angela shrugged. "Well, _you know_ Brennan." She stabbed another forkful of pie. "Want some?"

Booth shook his head. He rubbed at his chin, which was covered in scruff.

"You're looking a little rough around the edges." Angela observed, taking in Booth's unshaven look. "Not that it doesn't work for you." She laughed.

Booth shrugged. "I'm just waiting for a case. Get back in the swing of things."

Angela nodded. "Reasonably." Her phone went off. She held it up for Booth to see. "Brennan. I've got to go pick her up from the airport."

Booth glanced down at the table. It was obviously an open-ended invitation for Booth to join her.

"I'll just go wait for you guys at the Jeffersonian." He said, settling that this was a safer bet than Angela's knowing glances all the way back from the airport.

Angela smiled and stood. "Alright. See you later." She waved and headed out the door.

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Booth walked through the doors to the lab. He hurried down the hallway towards Brennan's office.

"Seeley." Cam came out of nowhere to greet him.

"Camille." He tried on his 'charm' grin, hoping that it fit right.

She gave him a look. "Do we have to go over this again?"

Booth shrugged. "Ah, no." He accepted her hug and hooked a thumb towards Brennan's office. "Mind opening it up for me? Gonna surprise her when she gets in."

Cam smiled and pulled out her keys. "No problem." She unlocked the door for Booth and left him alone in the empty office.

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**A/N: Next chapter coming soon to a fanfic page near you. Uh yeah. Bad joke. Love all the French reviews. Anyone remember this quote from Bones, Season one, pilot. "Parlez vous francais?" **


	7. Reunited

**Disclaimer:** Bones originally belongs to Kathy Reichs, but is currently under the great care of Fox, Hart, Deschanel, and Boreanaz.

**A/N: Setting is the season 5 opener. **Harbingers in the Fountain**. **

**Thanks! For all the alerts, favorites, and reviews! **

**10 points to anyone who posted a French review. 5 to those English reviewers. But a Merci Beaucoup (thanks a bunch) all around.**

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Brennan walks swiftly through the Jeffersonian towards her office.

Cam catches up with her. "Welcome back Dr. Brennan, should we hug?"

Brennan surveys her boss briefly. "Why?"

Cam lets her arms fall and watches Brennan walk away. "Alrighty." She clicks her tongue and heads off to bother Angela for details.

Brennan flicks on the light to her office.

"Bones!" Booth is standing in the middle of her office, grinning widely. He takes a step forward and she throws her arms around her partner.

Brennan closes her eyes, a smile spread across her lips. Booth tightens his hold, shutting his eyes in contentment. Before the hug can escalate into anything more between them, they both pull back simultaneously.

"How've you been?" Booth asks, as his partner sets her bag on the floor.

"Fine." Brennan can't stop smiling. "You?"

"Perfect, you know." Booth's smile was exuding charm. "I'm almost reinstated."

"Almost?" Brennan spun around, seeming disappointed. "Does that mean we don't have a case?"

"Well," Booth shrugged. "Not yet." He grinned at his partner. "Soon though, you know?"

"Right." Brennan went back to unpacking her things.

Angela appeared in the doorway, smirking like she knew something that only she was privy too. "Guys. We've got a case."

Booth turned to Brennan, ecstatic. "See? We've got a case." He grinned. "We're back."

Brennan flashed her crooked grin. "We're back." She agreed.

They high-fived and followed a chuckling Angela out of the office.

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The day dwindled by, with Brennan and Booth exchanging meaningful glances. Booth was convinced that he was meant to be with his partner, the way they had been in his dream- together, married. He couldn't understand why after all these years he had never taken the leap. Was it her? Or had he been too afraid? There was also a chance that this was all just a lingering effect of the coma. So, he decided that he should catch a drink with someone who he could ask. Someone that knew him well.

"Cam." Booth charm-smiled, sitting down next to his friend.

"What's this about, Booth?" She asks, taking a sip of her drink.

Booth shrugs. "You know, I just want to share a drink with one of my closest, dearest friends. You know, who I can trust."

"Oh god, there's lasting brain damage isn't there?" Cam's eyes widen as she jumps to conclusions.

"No," Booth protests, gesturing the bartender for a drink. "Relax, Camille. Though I did forget that I wore goofy socks." Booth says. He and Cam take a shot for that.

"The things that make you a good cop has nothing to do with the socks. What's really on your mind?" Cam asks as she sets her glass down on the counter.

Booth sighs and rubs at his chin. "That place, I went to in my coma dream. It's just..." Booth struggles with his words and Cam waits patiently. "Bones and I, it was so real."

"You're in love with Dr. Brennan." Cam interjects, a grin touching her lips briefly.

Booth sits in silence, returning Cam's grin. "What I'm wondering is, am I the same guy?"

Cam appears to ponder this briefly. "A sweet, kick-ass FBI agent with hard fists and a lion heart? " Cam nods, "Yup you're still him."

Booth nods, taking that in.

Cam takes a deep breath before continuing. "My advice, for what it's worth? Go with your lion heart."

"Right." Booth agrees, raising his shot glass. "Go with my heart and tell Bones how I feel."

"Yes," Cam lifts her glass as well. "Except, be sure of your feelings. Because if you crack that shell and you change your mind, she'll die of loneliness before she'll ever trust anyone ever again." Cam gives Booth a look, and his sureness from before has been shaken.

"Right." He says, with a bit less gumption.

They clink glasses and throw back another shot.

* * *

Brennan had been dealing with dead bodies, Booth's sideways glances, and Angela's psychic all day. It was no wonder she was at her wits end.

Dealing with a psychic, and everyone worrying that Booth wasn't quite back after his coma. Booth himself was worried about it, and true, he had been acting a bit strange. But she was certain he'd be completely back to normal in no time.

It was all just so ridiculous. Who'd have ever thought that a case could be based off of a psychic? Completely ridiculous. Brennan sighed and turned off her computer for the night, grabbed her coat and headed out of her office.

* * *

Booth and Brennan walk side-by-side on the pavement. Booth sighs, and tries to dig up the courage to say what he's been meaning to all day. He knows he's back. He knows this is right, and it's what he truly feels, deep down, inside his "lion-heart", as Cam put it. After a long day of case solving and everyone worrying over his mental state, Booth just hoped that he could go home with his partner tonight. Have that kind of happiness back- the kind from his dream.

Brennan turned to her partner. "Are you all right?"

"No," They both stopped walking. "I have something I want to say to you from inside my heart."

"Well, blood is in your heart, Booth." Brennan rationalized. She spouted a bunch of anthropological facts about the heart, completely missing Booth's point.

"No, I-" He grabbed her arm gently, so she turned to face him. "Ever since I woke up from my coma I've been wanting to say something to you, about you."

Brennan shook her head, her voice softening. "Well why didn't you say something earlier?"

"I just wanted to finish this case, to make sure that I'm back. That I'm me again." Booth explained.

A clown interrupted their tête-à-tête, but soon the serious looks returned to Booth and Brennan's countenances.

They kept walking down the sidewalk; Brennan stopped and turned to Booth. "Well, what did you want to tell me?"

Booth pauses, thinking it over for a millisecond, and then, very seriously says, "That I love you."

Brennan stares back at her partner, obviously shaken, completely terrified with this revelation.

Booth stares into her light-blue eyes, which are filled with fear, and he knows that right now this is the turning point. He can take it back, or blame it on the coma. Anything to keep her from running. But he doesn't.

"What?" The word barely makes it past Brennan's trembling lips.

"I love you." Booth says again, taking a step towards her, ready to pull her into his arms.

But she's terrified as a little doe, ready to flea from the situation. To protect herself at all costs.

Booth stands, shifting, waiting for a response, for any kind of answer after putting his heart out on the line.

Brennan's voice chokes with emotion. "You're still feeling the affects of your coma. Look, you didn't remember to wear your socks or your belt buckle, or that you hated clowns."

Booth shakes his head. "That doesn't mean anything. I love you, Bones." He pulls her into a "guy-hug." Holds her tightly and doesn't let go, he won't let her run.

Brennan pushes him away, hitting at his chest. "No! No..." Her eyes are filled with tears. "I can't."

He's frantic, wanting to be with her, to experience that ultimate happiness at any cost. "Why? Why?"

"We can't be together romantically and work together." Brennan tries to rationalize.

Booth tries his best to pull her back into his arms. "That's no reason..."

"No." Brennan shoves him away. "Look, I can't do this, Booth." Her voice is small, and tears begin to trickle down her cheeks. "I can't."

He watches his partner go, until he can't see her tan trench coat any longer. Booth leans against the brick building behind him and sighs.

He had tried at all costs to gain happiness, but maybe he had pushed too hard.

* * *

**A/N: sorry for the angst. I sort of combined 5x1 with the hundredth episode a bit. But hey, if you need the fluff head back to chapter one, I mean remember, this is flashback, so the happy is coming.**


	8. Something Happened

**Disclaimer:** Bones originally belongs to Kathy Reichs, but is currently under the great care of Fox, Hart, Deschanel, and Boreanaz.

**A/N: Setting is season 5.**

**Thanks! For all the alerts and favorites. **

**Uhm, reviews? pretty please with sucre on top.**

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_He's frantic, wanting to be with her, to experience that ultimate happiness at any cost. "Why? Why?" _

_"We can't be together romantically and work together." Brennan tried to rationalize._

_Booth tried his best to pull her back into his arms. "That's no reason..."_

_"No." Brennan shoved him away. "Look, I can't do this, Booth." Her voice was small, and tears began to trickle down her cheeks. "I can't."_

_

* * *

_

Hot water coursed over Brennan. She couldn't shake her conversation with Booth, so, understandably, a hot shower was in order. She hummed to herself as the shower door and bathroom mirrors began to steam up. She stopped mid-hum and listened. Her door had clicked open and there were heavy footsteps by the kitchen. Thinking quickly, she left the water running and grabbed her towel. That way, whoever had broken in would be none-the-wiser.

Brennan, armed with an arsenal of martial arts training, opened the door to her bathroom slowly. She surveyed her apartment and saw that nothing had been taken or broken, not even the front door seemed forced open.

Out of her peripheral, she noticed a silhouette. She didn't even think; she acted.

"Woah Bones!" Her attacker choked out.

"Booth?"

Brennan let go slowly, eyeing her partner warily. "How'd you get in?"

"Door was unlocked." Booth explained, straightening his collar. "Shouldn't leave it open."

"I usually don't." Brennan punctuated her point by clicking the deadbolt shut. "But then again, I don't plan for my partner to just burst into my apartment."

Booth chuckled. "I didn't burst in. The door was open." He grinned at her, seeing if she could logic her way around that one. "Should be careful, any psycho could burst in."

Brennan shook her head. "I am careful. I can take care of myself, Booth. Don't treat me like a child." Brennan admonished, taking a step towards him. She felt like pushing him out of the door and wiping that stupid grin off his face, and she knew she could, if she really wanted to. Her hands clenched into fists as she felt her anger begin to rise, to fume.

"Alright, Alright." Booth held up his hands in mock-surrender. He cleared his throat and glanced his partner up and down. Her blue eyes were still fierce. His eyes lingered on interesting parts of his partner that weren't quite completely covered by the towel.

"Uh, Bones?" He gestured to her 'attire' as the air between them sizzled with intensity.

Brennan huffed, "I'll be right back." And padded out of the room, grabbing her clothes off the bed. Her heart was irrationally pounding in her chest. She returned to find Booth standing in the same place, looking shell-shocked.

"You walked away." His generally warm brown eyes were filled with hurt. And she knew that he didn't mean then, but early when he had told her... Her mind froze around the words.

Brennan's voice wavered. "You didn't stop me."

Booth stared back into his partner's wide blue eyes. "You didn't want to be stopped."

Brennan's emotions were quickly switching from anger to hurt. "Then why are you here, Booth?" Her voice choked with emotion the way it always did when her emotions heightened.

He closed the space between them, resting his hand on her shoulder. "We can't just ignore this, Bones. We can't just gloss it over like it never happened."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" She hit his arm off her shoulder, but he wasn't about to give up. He took her by the shoulders and stared into her eyes, desperate now, begging her to give him a chance.

"Something should happen between us." Booth insisted, watching as tears came to the corners of his partner's beautiful blue eyes.

She had to close herself off and quickly, things were becoming too dangerous, she was too far open, too susceptible to hurt, and she blamed it on him. "Like what Booth! What should happen?"

"Something..." He paused and looked straight into Brennan's tear filled eyes, trying to convey to her what he meant without saying a word.

But Brennan's last little bit of guard was up. Her heart was pounding and there was a look in Booth's eyes that showed complete caring, gave her a glimpse of someone who was completely devoted to love her, and that scared the rational hell out of her. Because feelings weren't rational.

"I don't know what this means." Brennan choked out, before Booth closed the space between them with his lips. Their kiss was light at first, testing, then it heated to exploring, then knowing, then passion. Brennan felt almost... safe... in Booth's company. Something was escalating between them, Booth was already lost in it and soon she would be too.

Maybe Brennan would finally open herself up and let that 'something' happen.

* * *

**A/N: Next chapter will be in the present. set right after chaptre un. That means no more flashback mode. **


	9. Temperance Booth

**Disclaimer: Bones originally belongs to Kathy Reichs, but is currently under the great care of Fox, Hart, Deschanel, and Boreanaz.**

**A/N: Last chapter in this story. Set in Present day from chapter one. **

**A Happy Bones Day to all you Americans.**

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Excerpt from Chapter One:

"Yes. Booth and I are considering marriage." Brennan stated.

Everyone was still gaping as Brennan rushed off the forensic platform.

"We heard that correctly? Married?" Cam asked, glancing between her colleagues.

"Wow. Married." Hodgins whistled and shook his head.

"I know, right?" Angela was grinning like an excited schoolgirl.

* * *

Nine Months Later:

A very pregnant Temperance Brennan waddled down the hallway of the Jeffersonian Institute. Obviously, something had happened that fateful night and now she was quite a sight to see. She swiped her card and walked up to the top of the forensic platform.

Brennan pulled on some gloves; at this point unable to button her lab coat she hoped that the body wasn't a particularly gooey one. She made her way over to the table and did her best to bend down and squint at the remains.

"Huh." She said.

Angela chuckled as she made her way up the platform. "Sweetie, at seven months pregnant you really shouldn't be working."

"Booth hasn't pulled me off any cases yet." Brennan said, matter-of-factly.

"Booth just doesn't want to deal with your wrath." Angela shook her head.

Cam strode up the platform. "That's because he's a smart man."

Angela nodded. "Touché."

Hodgins joined the other three on the platform around the only-slightly-gooey dead body. "Woah, I can get some awesome particulates off this." He plucked off some silver flecks with tweezers and placed them into a Petri dish. "Hey Dr. B, lookin...." He paused as he noticed the death gaze that Angela was throwing him. "... good."

There was an awkward silence on the platform as Brennan responded with merely an 'uhhuh' and continued to examine the remains.

The silence was broken when Booth appeared at the bottom of the stairs. "We've got another dead body for you to examine, Bones."

"Alright." Brennan nodded, snapping off her gloves and looking up.

"Should she really be going out into the field, Seeley?" Cam asked.

"Yeah Booth, shouldn't Bren be taking it easy?" Angela chimed in.

He glanced up at the three most fearsome women in his life. Knowing that his wife's wrath would be the worst, he decided to blatantly ignore the other two. He gave a tug to his cocky belt buckle, threw Angela and Cam a charm grin, and helped his very pregnant wife down the stairs.

Cam sighed and shook her head.

"I bought a little onesie the other day." Angela cooed. "That kid is gonna be so cute."

Cam laughed. "Those two are going to drive us crazy."

And Hodgins, like the smart man he was, kept his mouth shut and his nose out of it.

* * *

"So, what do we got Bones?" Booth shifted from foot to foot, watching his partner work. It was true that he was keyed up with worry, and not about the case.

"I would say that these marks on the bones are consistent with the other- Oh!"

"Oh? Oh! Bones?" Booth caught her as she stumbled backwards, gripping at her stomach.

"We've got to get to the hospital." Brennan announced.

"Now?" Booth flustered. Brennan groaned in pain again. "Right. Now."

He rushed Brennan to the SUV and they sped over to the hospital.

* * *

Booth paced alongside his wife.

"It seems you've had a placental abruption." The doctor explained.

"Will the baby be alright?" Brennan asked as another sharp pain cause her to double over.

"The baby will be fine. We'll do an immediate C-section." The doctor assured, ready to wheel Brennan into the hospital room.

"Booth?" Brennan's voice was filled with worry. He gripped her hand tightly and stared straight into her eyes. "You're going to be fine, our kid is going to be fine." His warm brown eyes reassured her, hopefully they would reassure himself as well.

* * *

Booth made his way out into the waiting room of nervous squints.

His grin had never been wider. He hadn't felt this happy, well since Parker had been born.

"She's fine." Booth announced. "Brennan is great. She's resting."

"And the baby?" Cam asked.

"Healthy and beautiful. My baby girl." Booth grinned.

Cam came forward and hugged the proud father.

Angela turned and gave Hodgins a cheerful kiss as tears of joy clouded her eyes. She wiped them away, laughing, and offered Booth a hug. "We're all so happy for you." Angela grinned.

Booth returned her enthusiasm. "I know."

"So," Angela step forward, a mischievous look in her eyes. "What are you going to name her?"

Booth's eyes widened. The baby had come early. They hadn't picked a name yet.

* * *

**A/N: Dun dun dun. Okay the ending was supposed to be humorous. **

**Setting it up for the sequel entitled **Bingo Baby**. Which should be up in a few days. Let's just say, Brennan's hilarious parenting styles ensue. **

**Thanks, for all the readers and reviewers who have stuck with me through the journey. Hope you come along with me on the next.**

_-MD_


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